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Overview of the events of 1946 in music From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1946.
For each Year in Music (beginning 1940) and Year in Country Music (beginning 1939), a comprehensive Year End Top Records section can be found at mid-page (popular), and on the Country page.
The charts are compiled from data published by Billboard magazine, using their formulas, with slight modifications. Most important, there are no songs missing or truncated by Billboard's holiday deadline. Each year, records included enter the charts between the prior November and early December. Each week, fifteen points are awarded to the number one record, then nine points for number two, eight points for number three, and so on. This system rewards songs that reach the highest positions, as well as those that had the longest chart runs. This is our adjustment to Mr. Whitburn's formula, which places no. 1 records on top, then no 2 and so on, ordered by weeks at that position. This allows a record with 4 weeks at no. 1 that only lasted 6 weeks to be rated very high. Here, the total points of a song's complete chart run determines its position. Our chart has more songs, more weeks and may look nothing like Billboard's, but it comes from the exact same surveys.
Before the Hot100 was implemented in 1958, Billboard magazine measured a record's performance with three charts, 'Best-Selling Popular Retail Records', 'Records Most-Played On the Air' or 'Records Most Played By Disk Jockeys' and 'Most-Played Juke Box Records'. As Billboard did starting in the 1940s, the three totals for each song are combined, with that number determining the final year-end rank. For example, 1944's "A Hot Time in the Town of Berlin" by Bing and the Andrews Sisters finished at no. 19, despite six weeks at no. 1 on the 'Most-Played Juke Box Records'(JB) chart. It scored 126 points, to go with its Best-Selling chart (BS) total of 0. Martha Tilton's version of "I'll Walk Alone" peaked at no. 4 on the Juke Box chart, which only totalled 65 points, but her BS total was also 65, for a final total of 130, ranking no. 18. Examples like this can be found in "The Billboard" magazine up to 1958. The 'Records Most-Played On the Air' chart didn't begin until January 1945, which is why we only had two sub-totals.
Our rankings are based on Billboard data, but we also present info on recording and release dates, global sales totals, RIAA and BPI certifications and other awards. Rankings from other genres like 'Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs' or 'Most Played Juke Box Race Records', Country charts including 'Most Played Juke Box Folk (Hillbilly) Records', 'Cashbox magazine', and other sources are presented if they exist. We supplement our info with reliable data from the "Discography of American Historical Recordings" website, Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954[4] and other sources as specified.
The following songs appeared in The Billboard's 'Best Selling Retail Records', 'Records Most-Played On the Air' and 'Most Played Juke Box Records' charts, starting November 1945 and before December 1946.
Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart positions |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eddy Howard and His Orchestra | "To Each His Own"[5] | Majestic 7188 | April 16, 1946 | June 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #1, US #1 for 8 weeks, 24 total weeks, 576 points, CashBox #3, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
2 | The Ink Spots | "The Gypsy"[6] | Decca 18817 | February 19, 1946 | March 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #2, US #1 for 13 weeks, 23 total weeks, CashBox #1, US Most-Played Race Records 1945 #3, Race Records #1 for 3 weeks, 13 total weeks, 548 points, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
3 | Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (vocal by Marjorie Hughes) | "Rumors Are Flying"[7] | Columbia 37069 | June 20, 1946 | August 19, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #3, US #1 for 11 weeks, 28 total weeks, 477 points, CashBox #6, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
4 | Frank Sinatra | "Five Minutes More"[7] | Columbia 37048 | May 28, 1946 | July 8, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #4, US #1 for 7 weeks, 19 total weeks, 453 points |
5 | Swing and Sway With Sammy Kaye | "The Old Lamp-Lighter"[8] | RCA Victor 20-1963 | August 21, 1946 | September 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #5, US #1 for 8 weeks (Juke Box), 21 total weeks, 452 points, CashBox #8 |
6 | Frankie Carle and his Orchestra (vocal by Marjorie Hughes | "Oh! What It Seemed to Be"[9] | Columbia 36892 | October 15, 1945 | December 17, 1945 | US Billboard 1946 #6, US #1 for 11 weeks (Juke Box), 20 total weeks, 436 points, CashBox #5 |
7 | Perry Como | "Prisoner of Love"[8] | RCA Victor 20-1814 | December 18, 1945 | March 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #7, US #1 for 3 weeks, 20 total weeks, 429 points, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
8 | Dinah Shore | "The Gypsy"[9] | Columbia 36964 | February 12, 1946 | March 25, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #8, US #1 for 8 weeks, 17 total weeks, 358 points, CashBox #2, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
9 | Vaughn Monroe and his Orchestra | "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"[8] | Victor 20-1759 | October 31, 1945 | November 1945 | US Billboard 1946 #9, US #1 for 6 weeks, 16 total weeks, 349 points |
10 | King Cole Trio | "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons"[10] | Capitol 304 | August 22, 1946 | September 30, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #10, US #1 for 7 weeks, 16 total weeks, CashBox #1, US Most-Played Race Records 1945 #20, Race Records #3 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks, 293 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2018, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
11 | Betty Hutton | "Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief"[10] | Capitol 220 | June 29, 1945 | November 1945 | US Billboard 1946 #10, US #1 for 1 week, 22 total weeks, 299 points |
12 | Frank Sinatra | "Oh! What It Seemed to Be"[9] | Columbia 36905 | November 19, 1945 | January 14, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #11, US #1 for 8 weeks, 28 total weeks, 295 points, CashBox #7 |
13 | Freddy Martin and His Orchestra | "Symphony"[8] | Victor 20-1747 | October 2, 1945 | November 1945 | US BB 1945 #12, US #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks |
14 | Johnny Mercer and The Pied Pipers | "Personality"[10] | Capitol 230 | October 1, 1945 | December 1945 | US Billboard 1946 #13, US #1 for 1 weeks, 17 total weeks, 289 points, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 |
15 | Freddy Martin and His Orchestra | "To Each His Own"[8] | RCA Victor 20-1921 | 1946 | July 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #14, US #1 for 2 weeks, 16 total weeks, 255 points, CashBox #4 |
16 | Kay Kyser and His Orchestra | "Ole Buttermilk Sky"[7] | Columbia 37073 | June 15, 1946 | August 26, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #15, US #1 for 7 weeks, 16 total weeks, 253 points |
17 | Perry Como | "Surrender"[8] | RCA Victor 20-1877 | April 2, 1946 | June 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #16, US #1 for 9 weeks, 17 total weeks, 250 points |
18 | Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters | "South America, Take It Away"[11] | Decca 23569 | May 11, 1946 | June 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #18, US #2 for 13 weeks, 17 total weeks, 213 points, 1,000,000 sales[12] |
19 | Hoagy Carmichael and Orchestra | "Ole Buttermilk Sky"[13] | ARA 155 | April 2, 1946 | June 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #19, US #1 for 1 weeks, 17 total weeks, 182 points, Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 |
20 | Dinah Shore | "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly"[9] | Columbia 36976 | March 16, 1946 | April 29, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #20, US #3 for 1 weeks, 17 total weeks, 159 points, CashBox #3 |
21 | Dinah Shore | "Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)"[9] | Columbia 36964 | February 12, 1946 | March 25, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #21, US #3 for 1 weeks, 17 total weeks, 158 points, CashBox #3 |
22 | Kay Kyser and His Orchestra | "The Old Lamp-Lighter"[7] | Columbia 37095 | July 18, 1946 | October 14, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #22, US #1 for 7 weeks, 16 total weeks, 143 points, CashBox #9 |
23 | Swing and Sway With Sammy Kaye | "I'm A Big Girl Now"[8] | RCA Victor 20-1812 | December 22, 1945 | February 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #23, US #1 for 1 week, 18 total weeks, 141 points, CashBox #6, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
Billboard Most-Played Race Records of 1946 is a year-end list compiled by Billboard magazine, printed in the January 4, 1947, issue. It includes rankings for the calendar year only, handicapping records at the beginning and end of the year such as "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie", which finished second as a result. For all year-end charts on these pages, records that enter the chart in December of the previous year, or remain on the chart after December of the current year, receive points for their full chart runs. Each week, a score of 15 points is assigned for the no. 1 record, 9 points for no. 2, 8 points for no. 3, and so on, and the total of all weeks determined the final rank. Additional information from other sources is reported, but not used for ranking. This includes dates obtained from the Discography of American Historical Recordings website, chart performance from Billboard's 'Best Selling Retail Records, Records Most-Played On the Air and Most Played Juke Box Records charts, Most Played Juke Box Folk (Hillbilly) Records, Cashbox, and other sources as noted. Additional information can also be found at List of Most Played Juke Box Race Records number ones of 1946.
Rank | Artist | Title | Label | Recorded | Released | Chart positions |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie"[14] | Decca 23610 | January 23, 1946 | August 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #54, US #7 for 1 weeks, 6 total weeks, US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #1, Race Records #1 for 18 weeks, 26 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[12] |
2 | Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra | "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop"[15] | Decca 18754 | December 1, 1945 | January 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #114, US #9 for 1 weeks, 8 total weeks, US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #2, Race Records #1 for 16 weeks, 25 total weeks |
3 | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | "Buzz Me"[16] | Decca 18734 | January 19, 1945 | December 1945 | US BB 1946 #90, US #9 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #3, Race Records #1 for 9 weeks, 13 total weeks |
4 | Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | "Stone Cold Dead in the Market (He Had It Coming)"[17] | Decca 23546 | October 8, 1945 | January 29, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #76, US #7 for 1 weeks, 6 total weeks, US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #4, Race Records #1 for 5 weeks, 20 total weeks, 95 points |
5 | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | "Ain't That Just Like a Woman (They'll Do It Every Time)"[18] | Decca 23669 | January 23, 1946 | October 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #229, US #17 for 1 week, 2 total weeks, US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #6, Race Records #1 for 2 weeks, 17 total weeks, 74 points |
6 | The Ink Spots | "The Gypsy"[6] | Decca 18817 | February 19, 1946 | March 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #2, US #1 for 13 weeks, 23 total weeks, 55 points, CashBox #1, US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #5, Race Records #1 for 2 weeks, 13 total weeks, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
7 | Roy Milton and His Solid Senders | "R. M. Blues"[19] | Juke Box 504 | July 1946 | March 1946 | US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #7, Race Records #2 for 2 weeks, 25 total weeks, 54 points |
8 | Johnny Moore's Three Blazers (vocal Charles Brown) | "Driftin' Blues"[20] | Philo 112 | September 14, 1945 | December 1945 | US Billboard Most-Played Juke Box Race Records 1946 #8, US #2 for 1 week, 23 total weeks, 48 points |
9 | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | "Salt Pork, West Virginia"[21] | Decca 18762 | July 16, 1945 | February 1946 | US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #9, Harlem/Race Records #2 for 6 weeks, 15 total weeks, 44 points |
10 | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | "Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule"[22] | Decca 18734 | January 10, 1946 | March 1946 | US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #10, Race Records #1 for 1 week, 11 total weeks, 43 points |
11 | Andy Kirk and His Orchestra and The Jubalaires | "I Know"[23] | Decca 18782 | November 27, 1945 | April 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #277, US #21 for 1 week, 1 total weeks, US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #11, Race Records #2 for 4 weeks, 16 total weeks, 34 points |
12 | King Cole Trio | "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66"[10] | Capitol 256 | March 15, 1946 | April 22, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #137, US #11 for 1 weeks, 2 total weeks, US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #12, Race Records #1 for 1 week, 11 total weeks, 30 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2018, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
13 | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | "That Chick's Too Young To Fry"[24] | Decca 23610 | January 23, 1946 | August 1946 | US Most-Played Race Records 1946 #13, Race Records #3 for 8 weeks, 11 total weeks, 30 points |
20 | King Cole Trio | "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons"[10] | Capitol 304 | August 22, 1946 | September 30, 1946 | US Billboard 1946 #10, US #1 for 7 weeks, 16 total weeks, CashBox #1, US Most-Played Race Records 1945 #20, Race Records #3 for 2 weeks, 8 total weeks, 17 points, Grammy Hall of Fame 2018, 1,000,000 sales[4] |
Composer | Composition | Date | Location | Performers |
---|---|---|---|---|
Barber, Samuel | Cello Concerto | 1946-04-05 | Boston | Garbousova / Boston Symphony – Koussevitzky[25] |
Bartók, Béla | Piano Concerto No. 3 | 1946-02-08 | Philadelphia | Sándor / Philadelphia Orchestra – Ormandy[26] |
Bernstein, Leonard | Three Dance Episodes from "On the Town" | 1946-02-03 | San Francisco | San Francisco Symphony – Bernstein[27] |
Bernstein, Leonard | Three Dance Variations from Fancy Free | 1946-01-21 | New York City | New York City Symphony – Bernstein[28][29] |
Boulez, Pierre | Douze notations for piano | 1946-02-12 | Paris | Grimaud[30] |
Britten, Benjamin | Occasional Overture | 1946-09-29 | London | BBC Symphony – Boult[31] |
Britten, Benjamin | The Holy Sonnets of John Donne | 1946-11-22 | London | Pears, Britten[32] |
Britten, Benjamin | The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra | 1946-10-15 | Liverpool | Royal Liverpool Philharmonic – Sargent[33] |
Cage, John | Three Dances for Two Prepared Pianos | 1946-12-11 | New York City | Ajemian, Masselos[34] |
Carter, Elliott | Elegy for String Quartet | 1946-08-21 | Eliot, Maine | Lanier Quartet[35] |
Carter, Elliott | Musicians Wrestle Everywhere | 1946-02-12 | New York City | Randolph Singers – Randolph[36] |
Carter, Elliott | Voyage for voice and piano | 1946-03-16 | New York City | Boatwright, Baerwald[37] |
Carter, Elliott | Warble for Lilac Time | 1946-09-14 | Saratoga Springs, New York (Spa Festival) | Boatwright / Yaddo Orchestra – Fennell[38] |
Copland, Aaron | Danzón cubano | 1946-02-17 | Baltimore | Baltimore Symphony – Stewart[39] |
Copland, Aaron | Symphony No. 3 | 1946-10-18 | Boston | Boston Symphony – Koussevitzky[40] |
Dallapiccola, Luigi | Ciaccona, Intermezzo e Adagio for cello | 1946-02-26 | Milan | Cassadó[41] |
Dallapiccola, Luigi | Liriche Greche II – Due liriche di Anacreonte | 1946-06-24 | Brussels | Martin-Metten / Brussels Philharmonic – Souris[42] |
Dallapiccola, Luigi | Rencesvals | 1946-12-19 | Brussels | Bernac, Poulenc[43] |
Dallapiccola, Luigi | Sonatina canonica su Capricci di Paganini | 1946-03-03 | Perugia, Italy | Scarpini[44] |
Ginastera, Alberto | Sinfonía elegíaca (Symphony No. 2) | 1946-05-31 | Buenos Aires | [unknown orchestra] – Castro[45] |
Guridi, Jesús | Sinfonía Pirenaica | 1946-06-08 | Bilbao | Bilbao Municipal Orchestra – Arámbarri[46] |
Henze, Hans Werner | Chamber Concerto for piano, flute and strings | 1946-09-27 | Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Germany | Redel, Seemann / Darmstadt Landestheater Orchestra – Straub[47] |
Ives, Charles | Central Park in the Dark (1906) | 1946-05-11 | New York City | Students of the Juilliard School – Bloomfield[48] |
Ives, Charles | In Summer Fields (1898) | 1946-11-12 | Los Angeles | Dice, Wenger[49] |
Ives, Charles | String Quartet No. 2 (1913) | 1946-05-11 | New York City | Students of the Juilliard School[50] |
Ives, Charles | The Camp Meeting (Symphony No. 3) (1904) | 1946-04-05 | New York City | New York Little Symphony – Harrison[51] |
Ives, Charles | The Unanswered Question (1906) | 1946-05-11 | New York City | Students of the Juilliard School – Bloomfield[52] |
Jolivet, André | Divertissement à la roumaine | 1946-12-19 | Paris | [unknown performers][53] |
Jongen, Joseph | Mass, Op. 130 | 1946-06-23 | Liège Cathedral, Belgium | Jongen |
Korngold, Erich Wolfgang | Cello Concerto | 1946-12-29 | Los Angeles | Aller / Los Angeles Philharmonic – Svedrofsky[54] |
Krenek, Ernst | Symphony No. 3 | 1946-11-22 | Minneapolis | Minneapolis Symphony – Mitropoulos[55] |
Krenek, Ernst | Symphonic Elegy in memoriam Anton Webern | 1946-09-03 | Saratoga Springs, New York (Spa Festival) | New York Philharmonic – Adler[56] |
Krenek, Ernst | Tricks and Trifles | 1946-03-22 | Minneapolis | Minneapolis Symphony – Mitropoulos[57] |
Martin, Frank | Petite symphonie concertante | 1946-05-17 | Zürich | Collegium Musicum Zurich – Sacher[58] |
Martinů, Bohuslav | Etudes and Polkas for Piano | 1946-01-18 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Firkusny[59] |
Messiaen, Olivier | Harawi, chant d'amour et de mort | 1946-06-27 | Brussels | Bunlet, Messiaen[60] |
Milhaud, Darius | Symphony No. 2 | 1946-12-20 | Boston | Boston Symphony – Piston[61] |
Prokofiev, Sergei | Violin Sonata No. 1 | 1946-10-23 | Moscow | Oistrakh, Oborin[62] |
Schoenberg, Arnold | Theme and Variations for Band | 1946-06-27 | Boston | Boston Symphony – Koussevitzky[63] |
Shostakovich, Dmitri | String Quartet No. 3 | 1946-12-16 | Moscow | Beethoven Quartet[64] |
Shostakovich, Dmitri | Victorious Spring | 1946-05-08 | Moscow | NKVD Choreographic and Vocal Ensemble – Silantsev[65] |
Strauss, Richard | Metamorphosen, study for 23 strings | 1946-01-25 | Zürich | Collegium Musicum Zürich – Sacher[66] |
Strauss, Richard | Oboe Concerto | 1946-02-26 | Zürich | Tonhalle Orchestra – Andreae[67] |
Stravinsky, Igor | Ebony Concerto for clarinet and jazz band | 1946-03-25 | New York City | Herman / Herman's Band – Hendel[68] |
Stravinsky, Igor | Scherzo à la russe | 1946-03-22 | San Francisco | San Francisco Symphony – Stravinsky[69] |
Stravinsky, Igor | Symphony in Three Movements | 1946-01-24 | New York City | New York Philharmonic – Stravinsky[70] |
Tippett, Michael | Little Music for Strings | 1946-11-09 | London | Jacques String Orchestra – Jacques[71] |
Tippett, Michael | String Quartet No. 3 | 1946-10-19 | London | Zorian Quartet[72] |
Villa-Lobos, Heitor | Piano Concerto No. 1 | 1946-10-11 | Theatro Municipal (Rio de Janeiro) | Ballon / Orquestra Sinfônica do Theatro Municipal – Villa-Lobos[73] |
Webern, Anton | Cantata No. 1 | 1946-07-12 | London | Hooke / BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus – Rankl[74] |
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois | Capriccio for Piano, improvisations on folk themes | 1946-07-12 | Horrem, Germanu | Wirtz[75] |
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois | Drei Geistliche Lieder, improvisations on folk themes | 1946-06-18 | Cologne | Klaembt, Hecker[76] |
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois | Extemporale, five pieces for piano | 1946-04-12 | Cologne | Wirtz[77] |
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois | Scherzo sinfonico | 1946-05-06 | Cologne | Gürzenich Orchestra – Wand[78] |
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